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The Modern Home 



Issued by 

THE McCALL COMPANY 

NEW YORK, N. Y. 

c. \ °[ 3 3 n 

All book rights reserved by the author 


7860-222—15M 


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The Modern Home 

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HOW TO EQUIP IT WITH MECHANICAL 
SERVANTS and MANAGE IT WISELY 

A glowing promise is held out to the home¬ 
maker of today. New light has been thrown 
on her problems. It has been discovered that 
a successful home is not the result of chance; 
it is founded on principles. 

The first step in establishing the true home 
is to overcome drudgery in housework. A 
worn-out drudge cannot be a helpful wife and 
mother. Aspiration is crowded out of her 
life. Home is robbed of its romance and 
beauty. 

Science and the manufacturer have come to 
the housewife’s rescue. They offer her re¬ 
lease from toil. The woman of to-day does 
not need to be shown how to do work, but 
how not to do it. 

The purpose of this booklet is to indicate the 
short-cuts in work: to show how women’s 
efficient minds, in conjunction with their me¬ 
chanical servants, can do housework better 
and more easily than it was done in the past. 


©Cl A 690031 

DEC 18 12 



The Work of Your Mechanical Servants 

T HE days of sordid labor are passing. Grind is being supplanted by ease. Woman 
is realizing that there is something more in life than cooking and house¬ 
work. She is taking her place in the world. She is working with head and heart. 

Her life is so complex that she can no longer do all and be all unaided. Her 
children may be too young to contribute real help. Paid workers come too high. 
What is she to do? 

There is but one answer to this question: she has a rich store of resources to 
draw on in the marvelous appliances and machines and tools now offered to 
make work lighter and quicker and pleasanter. These workers are her mechanical 
servants. 

Many of them, as the vacuum cleaner, electrical washing machine, electric iron, 
treated floor mop, fireless cooker, have become as necessary as her bread and 
butter. She can not be without them even though she must make sacrifices in 
other lines of expenditure to have them. For she knows that the cost comes back 
to her many times over in the wages to a laundress, day worker or dry cleaner, to 
say nothing of the joy put into her life by the hours they add to her day, the 
freedom they give from aches and fatigues and weariness of soul. 

Her retinue of efficient servants may include: 


1 . 

Cleaners 

7. 

House Furnishers 

2. 

Electrical Aids 

8. 

Canning Aids 

3. 

Laundry Helpers 

9. 

Fuel Economizers 

4. 

. Cookery Assistants 

10. 

Comfort Makers 

5. 

Time and Labor Savers 

11. 

Food Conservers 

6. 

Promoters of Convenience 

12. 

Waitress Substitutes 


Cleaners 

Vacuum Cleaner: A twist of the plug in the socket, a turn of the switch— 
and all you have to do is to pass this machine slowly over your rugs to see the 
dust magically disappear! Does not this appliance rank almost first in overcoming 
one of the greatest hardship of housekeeping? By its weekly use, the bugbear of 
semi-annual cleaning is practically relegated to the past, since it provides an easy 
way to “keep clean rather than make clean.” 

Removing dust thoroughly without clouding the air, it requires little effort to 
clean carpets, rugs, upholstery, walls, books and clothing, using the attachments 
that seem almost human in the skill with which they serve you. 


1 











Be sure to oil your machine about once in two weeks and empty the bag fre¬ 
quently. In purchasing, one should consider the smoothness and ease of running, 
the simplicity of removing and cleaning the brush and bag, and the quality of the 
work done. 

Carpet Sweeper: A carpet sweeper is a standby as a daily servant. It gathers 
the surface dust, scraps, hair and other debris and places them in the pan witn 
little dust disturbance in the air. It is not heavy to push and the dust is easily 
removed. 

When you put your sweeper away, tilt it so that the weight does not rest on 
the bristles of the brush and spoil them. Or hang it by means of a screw-eye in the 
end of the handle. 

Hair Broom: For the hardwood floor, does a hair broom come to your rescue 
to remove as much dust as possible before the dusting and polishing begin? 

It is well to buy a hair broom of best quality bristles. Wash it occasionally in 
lukewarm water and white soap, swishing the bristles back and forth in the soap 
suds and keeping the back of the brush out of the water so that the water may not 
loosen the cement that holds the bristles. Always hang up your hair broom. 

Chemically Treated Floor Mop: I place a dusting floor mop in the foremost 
ranks of prized household acquisitions. To gather dust easily without spreading 
oil on the floor—is it not a competent helper that will serve you so carefully? 

Take a long-string mop, for instance. With a single sweep across the floor 
it covers a wide area, collects the dust quickly and holds it until you shake it out. 
The triangular mop is unrivaled for going into corners. 

A mop head that is removable is the best as it may be so easily cleansed in 
warm (not hot) water in which a mild bar-soap or soap flakes have been dis¬ 
solved. Hang your mop in the cleaning closet. It will pay you to use it for 
dusting only—not for sweeping. 

Polishing Mop: If you use oil on your floors, a polishing mop must be called 
into service. Select a full mop made of durable cotton strands with a well-padded 
bumper that protects your furniture. Reserve this mop for oil floors only; do 
not use it on waxed floors. And when it needs oiling, set it in a pan in which 
you have first put a few drops of good floor oil. 

Self-Wringing Mop: Why put your hands in soapy water when you mop your 
floors if by the turn of a little crank you may wring your soft cloth mop with 
unsoiled fingers? It is an ingenious contrivance, this simple little wringing appa¬ 
ratus that is part of the mop holder and twists the cloth so cleverly. 

Wool Mop for Walls: Which of your retainers will reach such high places as 
walls? There are three that respond to the call—the vacuum cleaner, the lamb’s- 
wool mop and the flannel bag or cloth placed over a broom. The first is of course 
the most efficient as the dust is drawn from the walls by suction, without possi¬ 
bility of streaks and smudges. With the others, one should rub with long light 
strokes to avoid pressing the dirt into the wall covering. 

Weighted Brush for Waxed Floors: The fact that this brush is heavily 
weighted means less rubbing and hence less arm-and-shoulder strain. As it has 
a long handle there is no sprawling on hands and knees which is the usual price 
paid for shining waxed floors. One stroke with this short-bristled brush equals 
many hard rubs without it. 

Long-Handled Scrub Brush: To keep you from working on your hands and 
knees, but in an erect position, is the mission of this faithful domestic. Made of 


2 


strong fibre with openings in the back of the brush for the insertion of the long 
handle, it is ever ready to perform one of the most trying tasks of all. 

Dustless Dusters: A neat little servant is the dustless duster composed of short 
black cotton threads, mounted on a stick and having a good wooden handle. What 
a cleanly task the morning dusting becomes as you pass this convenient, treated 
duster over tables, chair legs and rungs, the corners of stairs and elsewhere! For 
this device means clean hands instead of the grime and dirt that come from touching 
a dusty cloth. 

Of course dustless dust cloths are also necessary as there are many corners and 
crevices not reachable with the handled duster. These cloths should be frequently 
washed in lukewarm water and the suds of a neutral soap, since the secret of good 
cleaning is to have clean implements, 

Knife and Fork Cleaner: There is a wonderful little device that enables one 
to clean forks between the tines and helps to polish knives. It is a strong metal 
spring mounted on a metal base and supplied with a convenient handle. 

Metal Polishes: A good polish for silver, brass, copper, nickel, aluminum, is an 
essential of equipment. But the cleaning of many metal articles may be reduced to 
an annual or semi-annual performance by the use of transparent lacquer. First 
clean and polish the article thoroughly; then paint it lightly and quickly with 
lacquer. If not handled frequently the shine remains for many months. If you 
wish to repolish, you must then remove the lacquer with alcohol. 

I have found this treatment excellent for nickel bathroom fixtures (not the 
faucets because so often handled), brass candlesticks, vases, etc. 

Electrical Aids 

Power Unit: The maid-of-all-work is this marvel of help! It is so versatile 
that it will churn your butter, freeze your ice-cream, beat the eggs, knead the 
bread, grind the coffee and meat, buff your silverware, mix the mayonnaise— 
in fact you have only to connect it with any device that turns or twists or whirls 
and the electrical power will do the work. Why use human energy when a sub¬ 
stitute will perform the hard labor better and in less time? If you would pre¬ 
serve the smile of youth, let this magical machine, which may stand on table or 
shelf, serve you in its manifold capacity. 

Sewing Machine: The children’s clothes almost make themselves with an 
electric sewing machine. It is truly wonderful how quickly the seams will be 
sewed, the ruffles made, the tedious mending of household linen done by simply 
pressing the foot rest—less pressure for the slow work and more when the way is 
clear for a long rapid run. Foot pedal drudgery is banished—the guiding of the 
material with both hands is your only concern, and perfection of work is assured. 

Grill: Let the electrical grill prepare for you a quick cup of tea or coffee, a 
hasty breakfast or an impromptu luncheon or supper. A turn of the switch will 
place at your service a flameless heat for a variety of cooking—broiling of chops 
or bacon, making of toast and coffee, creaming of chicken or oysters. Attach an 
ovenette to this grill and you have a kitchen range in miniature. 

Fan: On summer days, the electric fan, moved to kitchen or laundry and 
connected with the lamp socket, cools your brow when you are preserving or 
ironing. No days are too warm to interfere with the worth of this faithful 
servitor which adds so much to your working power, comfort and peace of mind 
by simply keeping you cool. 


3 



Pad: It is no wonder that the electric pad is so often preferred to the rubber 
hot-water bottle. There is no danger of bursting and scalding, no re-filling. It 
is always ready for use, its heat may be regulated, it is sanitary and safe—a flexible 
flannel blanket full of soothing warmth. 

Radiator: For nursery or bathroom, have you tried an electric heater? It 
takes the chill off the room in a few minutes. 

■% 

Laundry Helpers 

Electric Washing Machine: Why should a woman put her own energy into 
each piece of the weekly wash when she may stand by and see another power 
perform the actual labor? 

With this tireless modern laundress you have only to place the clothes in the tub 
of hot soapy water, clamp down the lid, make the electrical connection, and in ten 
or fifteen minutes, while you work at something else, one of the heaviest loads 
of housekeeping is lifted. Use the machine, too, for rinsing. 

When you get an electrical washing machine, be sure that the current (direct 
or alternating) corresponds with that available for your use. 

Keep your machine well oiled, do not overload it with clothes, remove the 
clothes carefully to avoid tearing; wipe, dry, air and cover your machine and 
wringer after using. 

Water Power Machine: If the pressure is sufficient, a water motor washer 
may serve you well at small cost. By attaching a handle, instead of using the 
motor, the machine may be converted into a hand power washer. In fact, nearly 
all mechanically driven washing machines have a means for hand use which is a 
wise provision in case the power is cut off. 

Wringer: A wringer far outdoes the human hands in pressing the water from 
clothes. Since the thoroughness with which each change is removed, is a big 
item in the process of cleansing, can a woman afford to be without this appliance? 

To insure the wear of the rubber rolls, always loosen them after using, as per¬ 
manent compression flattens them. Wipe carefully, cover and do not forget to 
oil occasionally. 

Clothes Dryer: A wooden rack suspended from the ceiling is the handy maid 
that dries your clothes indoors. Lowered, it holds the ironed pieces as they are 
finished. As a step and time saver, reducing the repetition of handling, and often 
as a conserver of materials, since whipping in a high wind frays the best fabrics, 
this laundry assistant is well worth its price. 

Electric Iron: The electric iron abolishes the laborious and time-consuming 
task of walking back and forth to the stove to change the irons. With its con¬ 
tinuous and self-supplied heat, one may stand at the ironing table without taking 
a single step until the ironing is done. Cleaner and quicker and usable wherever 
there is the current, it is cooler and far more convenient than the old-fashioned 
flatiron. 

Washboard: Do you use the glass washboard for the small pieces you wash 
during the week when the washing machine is not put to work? Its corrugations 
are rounded, thus causing less wear on the clothes than may occur from the use of 
the metal board, which often becomes broken without our knowing it until the 
sharp edges have ruined a few garments. 

Clothes Sprinkler: A simple clothes sprinkler consists of a sprinkler top at¬ 
tached to a cork and fitting a bottle of average size. It affords an even spray upon 
the clothes, facilitating the ironing. 


4 


Shirt and Stocking Drying-Forms: The busy mother finds these drying- 
forms a welcome help in drying and preserving the baby’s little shirts and stockings. 
For even with care in the washing of woolen underwear, it is more or less likely 
to shrink. Forms that hold it in place while the drying is done, therefore are a 
solution of the problem. They come in various sizes to fit your baby’s garments. 

Ironing Machine: This is invaluable for the flat pieces. Even a cold roil 
honing machine, while giving no gloss and not sterilizing the pieces, does excellent 
service in pressing small sheets if folded, pillow cases, towels, napkins, children’s 
handkerchiefs, cleaning cloths, and so forth. It does its best work if the clothes 
are slightly damp. 

Folding Ironing-Board Table: If your kitchen is your laundry, a folding 
table, light to handle, folds and unfolds easily and when collapsed for putting away, 
takes up little room. It rests firmly so that it is steady under pressure. 

There is also a folding stand adapted to any ironing board that may appeal 
to you. 

Folding Sleeve-Board: When small or dainty clothing is to be ironed or when 
a little pressing is done, a sleeve board is invaluable. The two boards composing 
this device are locked into position when opened for use and are as easily closed 
for storing away in the closet. 

Cookery Assistants 

Glass Baking Dishes: Glass baking dishes mark an era in the manufacture of 
cooking utensils. For what could be more sanitary, attractive, interesting, or 
economical of time and labor? They neither chip, crack nor absorb odors and they 
give the homemaker the opportunity to cook and serve in a single dish, thus 
reducing the dishwashing. 

Strainer Kettle: To eliminate the possibility of scalded hands, provide your¬ 
self with a strainer kettle for cooking soups and vegetables. By turning the knob 
in its lid, draining sections of three sizes slip quickly into place and a hook prevents 
the cover from slipping off when the kettle is tipped for pouring. 

Enamel Double Boiler: For boiled custards or for cereals and other foods that 
require long slow cooking, a double boiler is imperative—and there is nothing more 
satisfactory than those of enamelware. Choose the color that suits the scheme of 
your kitchen, thereby adding another good utensil to your collection and also 
increasing the effect of the room. 

Omelet Pan: Cooking the breakfast omelet in the aluminum double omelet 
pan obviates the feat of turning it with a spatula or turner, as one simply 
reverses the pan. 

Corn Muffin Molds: If you want to provide a new sensation for the family, 
bake your corn muffins in the aluminum or cast iron molds that are in the form 
of corn cobs. A rich yellow and brown, they are tempting and delicious in their 
impersonation of corn cobs. 

Turk’s-Head Cake Pan: Have you not often met with disaster in removing 
a cake from a pan? So often the dough sticks stubbornly to the bottom. The 
Turk’s-head pan—used for angel or other loaf cakes—will do the trick for you. 
It has a removable bottom of which the tube that forms the “hole” in the cake 
is a part. You have only to lift out this bottom and slip a knife under the cake. 

Layer cake pans of similar construction are aids in cake-making. 




5 


Griddle Greaser: Greasing the griddle for the morning “hot cakes” is simpli¬ 
fied if you have a device made of wire to hold a piece of heavy wick which is thick 
and absorbent. A spring holds the wick in place and permits of replacing. 

Deep Fat Frying Pan: In order that fried foods may be less indigestible, a 
deep fat frying outfit is desirable. The iron pan is supplied with a wire basket in 
which the foods are placed. It may be suspended above the pan after frying to 
drain the fat back into the pan. 

Puree Sieve: If you are fond of puree soups or if your children are young and 
you need to pulverize their foods, you will find a puree sieve an indispensable little 
assistant. Supported on four firm standards with a masher for pressing the foods, 
the sieve is strong and firm. 

Steam Pressure Cooker: The steam pressure cooker supplies one of the most 
satisfactory means of cooking by steam—a process that renders food tender and 
palatable. The pressure, which increases the temperature, also makes the cooking 
more rapid. Thus time and fuel are saved. There is also no danger of sticking 
or burning, and no stirring or basting are required, which means that labor is 
reduced. 

In using the Steam Pressure Cooker, be sure to follow directions explicitly. 

Time and Labor Savers 

Bread Mixer: The woman who makes her own bread and has once used a 
bread mixer will never again return to the tiresome methods of the past. She 
finds that no hands could so thoroughly and evenly blend the ingredients as the 
metal blade does and that no kneading could be so quick. 

Mayonnaise Mixer: To transform the tedious task of making mayonnaise with 
a spoon or fork into a five minutes’ operation that requires little physical energy 
and produces a better, surer product—this is the purpose of a good mayonnaise 
mixer. Your mayonnaise mixer may be used also for whipping cream and beating 
eggs. 

Double Dasher Egg-Beater: A double dasher supplies twice as many blades 
for beating. Should not the efficiency of the device be doubled, the time and labor 
cut in half? 

Cake Mixer: The cook books tell us “it’s all in the beating.” But how can a 
cake, no matter how delicious, be worth the aching arm that is the price of its 
success? A mechanical beater takes the ache out of beating and mixes the in¬ 
gredients in less time. 

Electric Dishwasher: To wash the dishes of three meals but once a day in 
ten to fifteen minutes—this is the achievement of this jewel of a servant which 
alleviates one of the heaviest burdens of the homemaker’s day. Plenty of hot 
water, connection for drainage and an electrical switch supply all that is needed 
with this appliance. 

Brush Dishwasher: Or, if you prefer a very inexpensive kitchen worker to 
help with the dishes, why not employ the one that consists of a brush attached to 
a rubber hose which may be connected with the hot water faucet? This ingenious 
affair has a soap receptacle above the brush, affording soapy water for washing. 
Then, by pressing a button in the top of the handle, clear water is emitted for 
rinsing. Next, the wire rack for drying receives each shining dish, eliminating the 
towel. No dish pan, no towel, each dish washed and rinsed in a single grasp! 




6 


Dish Dryer: If you do not have a complete outfit, at least a dryer will serve 
to cut down the work. It may stand on your drainboard or on a metal pan 
that may be bought for it. When boiling water is poured over the dishes as they 
stand in the rack, no drying with a towel will be necessary except for silver and 
glass. 

Egg Boiler and Server: Economy is the inspiration of this little contrivance: 
economy of tools, space, time and energy. No spoon is needed to lift the eggs 
from the water as the device itself, holding six eggs in compartments, is raised 
by means of the wooden handle and carried to the table, thus also acting as a 
server. Space is therefore conserved on your shelf, and time and energy are saved 
as dishwashing and handling are lessened. 

Stainless Steel Knives: For grapefruit, lemons and other acid fruits and 
vegetables, stainless steel knives are invaluable in saving time and strength. 

As the name implies, these knives cut or pare without leaving a single trace of 
stain, no matter how many hours may elapse before they are washed. Every 
housewife knows what this means in cutting down the labor of knife scouring. 

Silver Clean Pan: Why rub your youth out over your silver when by putting 
it in a pan of hot water in which soda and salt are dissolved, it will clean itself? 
To be sure, the luster may not be so high as may be secured with polish, but in 
these days of knowing the values in life, a woman sees the folly of wasting self 
on things. 

Vacuum Freezer: Many a homemaker would have ice cream far oftener if 
it were not for the time and muscle-energy consumed in turning the freezer. But 
now that tiresome operation is eliminated not only by the electrical power unit 
but by a freezer that freezes while you wait. 

House Furnishers 

Kitchen Cabinet: An up-to-date cabinet is almost a complete kitchen in a 
nutshell. It holds all and saves all—time, energy, work, space—to say nothing of 
the interest it adds to food preparation because it is so convenient and attractive. 
No single article of equipment combines more delight and satisfaction. 

If you are the sensible woman who sits at her work, you will find the table 
of your cabinet to be of just the correct height. Here, compactly within arm’s 
reach and most scientifically arranged, you will find sugar, flour, condiments, 
flavorings, package foods, spices, utensils, recipe books, charts, menus, and even a 
clean kitchen towel. And when your work is done, you may close the doors upon 
this facilitator of work, only to enjoy a real ornament in your kitchen. 

If you move to another house, you will not have a built-in cupboard to leave 
reluctantly behind but may ship it along with your other furniture to your new 
home. 

White Enamel Sectional Closets: We have all looked enviously upon those 
v/onderful sectional closets de luxe made of white enamel on heavy steel. But 
the cost looms too high for the average purse. 

If, however, .you have set your heart on this form of furniture, you will feel 
the expense much less if you accumulate the various cupboards by degrees. You 
may first buy a small storage closet with enamel doors, standing about thirty-four 
inches from the floor, where you may keep cooking utensils and the more un¬ 
sightly articles. Later add a dish closet to rest on the first cabinet. Through 
its glass doors your china will form a pleasing picture. 


7 


Grinder: Dull knives and scissors are a handicap to quick work. Have a 
small grinder clamped firmly to a convenient shelf or table. 

White Enamel Table: To harmonize with your cabinet or sectional closet, a 
white enamel table is ideal. If that is too expensive, buy an enameled top to be 
fitted to an old table, which may be given a new lease of life by white paint, 
finished by a coat of enamel. 

Convenient Curtain Rods: Flat (instead of round) rods that curve outward 
from the window insure the most graceful hanging of your curtains and keep them 
clean longer than the close-setting rods. They are also wonderfully adapted 
to hangings. 

High Stool: Indispensable is the high stool in the kitchen, that the housewife 
may sit at her table to pare vegetables and do other work. Be sure that your stool 
is shod with silencers so that it may slide easily and quietly across the floor. 

Household File: A woman need no longer tax her memory with the details of 
housekeeping when she may have at her finger tips all needed information, indexed 
and stored compactly within a tiny cabinet on her desk. A threefold file holds 
cards for household accounts, addresses and telephone numbers, and recipes. 

Food Conservers 

Food Chopper: A food chopper utilizes every crust of bread and every scrap 
of meat. Clamped to your table, it reduces the food to any degree of fineness 
simply by a few turns of the crank. Why wear yourself out with a chopping 
bowl when a machine will do the work and make sure that there is no waste? 

Meat Perforator: To convert a tough round steak into one that is juicy and 
tender is the aim of this many-bladed device. It cuts the fibre of the meat just 
sufficiently to make it tender without losing any of the juices. 

Vegetable Peeler: Since the greatest degree of flavor and nutriment are often 
present just beneath the skin of vegetables, it is a pleasure to find a little tool that 
spares this valuable food material from the ruthlessness of the paring knife. It is 
simply an oval piece of tin lined with an abrasive composition that is rubbed upon 
the vegetable, removing the skin—and the skin only. 

Window Refrigerator: A home-made or galvanized metal box to attach to the 
window sill is one of the best and most economical means of keeping food. Supplied 
with a lid that lets down and a shelf to increase holding capacity (with a space 
for milk bottles and pitchers), this iceless ice-box will banish your ice bill in certain 
climates, for six months. 

Slaw Cutter: Waste in cutting cabbage is eliminated by use of a slaw cutter— 
a tin device with sharp incisions that cut the cabbage into fine, even shreds. Every 
particle of the vegetable is utilized and the work is facilitated. 

Casserole: For the one-piece meal or other combination dishes that are so 
popular, a casserole is most acceptable. Besides cooking the foods deliciously, it 
saves dishwashing as one dish answers the purposes of cooking and serving. 

Canning Aids 

Cold Pack Canner: For cold pack canning, a device for the purpose is a 
servant of great value. One of these is a galvanized steel appliance having six 
separate holders for jars and is suited to canning in large or small quantities. As 
it fits over a single burner, it is economical of gas. 


8 


In buying be sure that the canner is adaptable to your stove, as it is too high 
(21 inches) to fit under the upper oven of some models of gas stoves. 

Kettle Bottoms: If you can a little at a time, a kettle bottom will convert 
your large kettle into a canner to suit you perfectly. Simply a disc of wire with 
three small feet, it holds the jars just high enough from the bottom of the kettle 
for good circulation of water. 

Fruit Jar Holder: Or, by buying a set of these holders, each holding an in¬ 
dividual jar, again your boiler may become your canner at little cost. A support, 
a rack, a lifter—a threefold service in a single unit of helpfulness. 

Jar Lifter: If kettle bottom or wire rack is used in kettle or boiler to form 
your home-devised canner, a lifter becomes necessary to grasp the jars, lower or 
lift or re-arrange them. These lifters are veritable metal fingers as they grasp the 
jars and hold them tight. 

Combination Aluminum Funnel: For bottles and jars this funnel is excellent 
since the lower portion with its small tube may be removed by unscrewing, leaving 
a large opening adapted to wide-mouthed vessels. The broad top holds a pint 
of liquid. 

Fruit Jar Rings: Rubber rings should be of good quality, thick enough to in¬ 
sure air-tight sealing, elastic but firm. 

Fruit Jars: Whether to use a screw top, sealed cap or spring top jar is a matter 
of individual choice, as all are equally good if well made of high grade material. A 
newer jar adapted to asparagus and large fruits is neckless. Its sides extend straight 
upward instead of curving in to form a neck. 

Cherry Stoner: A cherry stoner that removes stones without injuring the fruit 
is a delight to her who prides herself upon the beauty of her canned foods. She 
may sit comfortably at her table to which the stoner is attached and by turning 
the crank, will see quarts of stoned cherries pile themselves high before her in no 
time, saving hours, energy and patience. 

Corn Grater: This simple little device relieves you of the tedious task of cut¬ 
ting corn from the cob with a knife. It loosens and removes the kernels which 
fall down upon the board or table below. 

Peach Pitter: A peach pitter is a spoon with an open center, a sort of scoop. 
It does the trick of removing the stone as by magic. 

Jelly Strainer: Instead of the primitive cheesecloth, tied with a string and 
hung on a nail, why not get the neat bag fitting into a wire ring that is held by a 
wire frame and standard? 

Bottle Capper: To cap two dozen bottles in the time required to cork, tie 
and seal a single bottle by hand—is not this a testimonial of wonderful service? 
Try it for your catsup, fruit juices and home-made wines. It is economical in the 
long run as caps are cheaper than cork, twine, and sealing wax—but the greatest 
economy is that of your time and strength. 

Comfort Makers 

Gas Heater: A gas heater is a welcome adjunct to your heating apparatus. It 
warms a room of medium size in five minutes and recommends itself particularly if 
fuel runs low, if there is illness in the family or if chilly days come in spring and 
fall when the furnace is not operating. 


9 


Window Ventilator: It is only by the use of ventilators that you may have the 
proper circulation of air in your home, and it makes little difference which one you 
choose among those offered for sale or made by one of the family. A wooden 
frame, perforated with holes along the top and having slides to open and close 
these holes is an excellent type. A bronze wire screen over the openings keeps out 
flies, mosquitoes and some of the dust. 

Bed Lamp: Do you indulge in a little reading when the children are tucked 
in bed and all is quiet for the night? Then get a bed lamp that may be attached 
to the cross-bar or the side-post of your bed. It may be tilted into any position 
that you desire and its green glass shade will throw the light directly upon your 
book, while casting a soft, restful light throughout the room. 

Invalid’s Tray: You may carry real cheer to the ill one at home by serving 
his breakfast on this snowy white tray with a piece of fresh linen, an attractive 
breakfast set and a flower in a vase. When he is convalescent, it is useful as his 
writing desk or game table or reading stand. 

Glow Lamps: It is a comfort to the young mother to have a safe lamp giving 
a low, soft light, to keep burning at night. Or perhaps some one may be ill or 
there is a dark hall that needs illumination until morning, The tiny glass lamps 
for this purpose are inexpensive, odorless, safe, and they burn only a small quantity 
of oil per hour. 

Domes of Silence: A blow of the hammer upon a little steel disc and peace 
is promoted in your home. For these silencers, one on each foot of chair or table, 
mean that the furniture will slide noiselessly over the floor. They signify much 
to the nerves of the family. 

Luminous Bulb or Disc: In bathroom, bedroom or nursery it is a comfort 
to have a luminous guide pointing to the pull chain or the key of your gas burner. 
This cheery pointer of the way shines with a white light that is easily seen in the 
darkened hours of night. It may be had in bulb or disc form and its cost is trivial. 

Fuel Economizers 

Fireless Cooker: In the economy of fuel there is no appliance that ranks ahead 
of the fireless cooker. Compare, for example, the time for roasting a leg of lamb 
in the stove and in the fireless cooker: two hours for the usual oven roasting with 
gas or coal, and twenty minutes for heating the radiators of the cooker. This is 
proof conclusive of the saving of money. 

Mothers find the fireless cooker ideal for preparing the children’s cereals over¬ 
night; the woman who must hurry to an office every morning is offered the comfort 
of a delicious dinner awaiting her on her return; the woman who has club or 
church work to do need not be back until late if her fireless cooker is her cook. 
She should be supplied with a thermometer to prevent over-heating the radiators. 

Steam Cooker and Canner: The heat from one burner of gas or oil will cook 
an entire dinner in this cooker—just enough to keep two quarts of water boiling 
in the lower compartment. Arrange the foods on the racks, light the burner and 
then leave your dinner to the care of this machine-made chef. No watching is 
needed as a whistle will promptly inform you if the water gets low. For canning, 
this appliance is equally satisfactory. 

Radiating Plate: Another fuel conserver consists of a perforated iron plate 
to place over the burner of a gas or oil stove, or on a wood or coal range, or in an 
oven to prevent burning, scorching or boiling over. A hood accompanies it, which, 


10 


with the plate, creates a diminutive oven that requires far less fuel than the usual 
oven. 

Tea Kettle with Inset: To start the cereal, custard or sauce, or to keep some¬ 
thing hot while the water is boiling for potatoes, eggs or coffee, is the feat possible 
with this double-purpose tea kettle. Thus, fuel is saved as but one burner is used. 

Triplicate Saucepans: Why use three pans on three separate burners when all 
may be grouped over one burner? To use this single burner thus, you must have 
the three aluminum triangular pans which, when placed close together, cover the 
burner completely. 


Waitress Substitutes 

Tea Wagon: No human waitress could be more faithful and obedient as she 
stands beside you at table, ready to serve a dinner course or carry the soiled dishes 
to the kitchen. And when you wish to offer a cup of tea on the veranda to a 
neighbor who calls, this ever-ready maid again comes silently in with all the tea 
accessories on the two ample trays. Or, if you serve the after-dinner coffee in the 
library or living room, the coffee service may be easily rolled in from dining room 
or kitchen. 

Electric Chafing Dish: The domestic who is willing to prepare evening re¬ 
freshments is indeed so rare that homemakers no longer expect such services from a 
hired helper. Instead, they provide themselves with an inanimate entertainer—the 
chafing dish—and are then sure of a competent household assistant as well as a 
delicious repast. 

Electric Waffle Iron: Why stand at a hot stove, traveling to and fro with 
hot waffles when your electric waffle iron will cook and serve them for you right 
at table? There is no smoke, no odor, as these delectable waffles, at the rate of 
two in less than two minutes, come from the irons without a single step and with 
little effort on your part. 

Promoters of Convenience 

Glass Measuring Cup: It is easy to determine exact measurements with a glass 
measuring cup and simple to pour out the contents if there is a spout on the side. 
This inexpensive server may hang near your work table, ready to do its part in 
promoting your convenience. 

Gas Lighter: You may do away with the litter and cost of matches with this 
contrivance that gives a little spark when the point is rubbed by means of slight 
pressure against the rough metal. When worn out, the point may be renewed. 

Sink Brush and Shovel: If you have not found a satisfactory sink brush, let 
me introduce to you this one of brown fibre, similar in shape to a whisk broom 
but smaller. It also loosens the food materials that stick persistently to pots and 
pans. A shovel is a necessary accompaniment and if your kitchen is white, the 
one of white enamel will please you. 

Fancy Bread Board: Serving bread at table came into fashion during the 
war and is still to be recommended as an economy of food and steps, and a con¬ 
tribution to convenience. The fascinating decorated boards make the bread inviting. 

Other Needed Devices: There are also the apple corer, soap shaker, wooden 
spoons, cake turners, etc., ekch with an office to perform for your convenience and 
comfort. 


11 


Equipment 

Equipment and the Kitchen: Have you the proper kitchen furniture, appli¬ 
ances, devices, tools, to insure good results? Are these arranged to save steps? 

Equipment and its arrangement are more than half the battle to-day in making 
housework subservient to the deeper interests of life. A workman can not do good 
work with poor tools. His tools must also be conveniently at hand and his fix¬ 
tures must be those best adapted to his particular task for him to turn out prod¬ 
ucts that are profitable to him. 

And so it is with the homemaker. Her home is her workshop. Each room 
stands for a specialized labor and achievement. The kitchen, for instance, is her 
laboratory. In it her chemical experiments take place in the preparing and cooking 
of the food for her family; round it and near it center other activities, as laundry, 
cleaning, serving. In fact, so much of the household labor revolves around the 
kitchen that it becomes the first point of attack in our effort to lessen work. 

The Small Well-placed Kitchen: I know a kitchen—you have seen it, too— 
twenty feet square. From it, down a hall and three steps lower is the dark pantry. 
Still farther along this tunnel and two steps upward is the dining room. At one 
corner, a door gives upon a steep stairway leading to the storeroom and cellar. 
Along the walls of the stairway are strewn cooking utensils—a hoard of them—four 
or five to the nail. Can you imagine what it is to work here ? 

One’s heart goes out to her whose days are spent in the sordid labor and weari¬ 
ness of body that such a kitchen implies. But a cheering thought comes quickly 
to mind in the possibiliteis here offered for the exercise of a woman’s inventiveness. 
Could you condense your large kitchen by partitioning off an alcove for a dining 
room? Would not a built-in cupboard or closet in the kitchen or the purchase of 
a kitchen cabinet help by bringing your pantry supplies nearer and eliminating the 
utensil storage on the stairway? Or, why not level the floors by putting in a 
new flooring? Either one of these changes need not be costly and the return in 
the saving of yourself will more than repay you. 

A large kitchen is to be avoided. To save steps, have your kitchen small and 
compact so that utensils and devices may be easily reached and your time and 
energy saved as you move from table to stove or from sink to table. Convenient 
proportions for this room in an average home (provided the room is used as 
kitchen only) are 9 x 12 feet. 

Floors, Walls and Woodwork: There is nothing more delightful than lino¬ 
leum for the kitchen floor. It is durable, easily cleaned, not injured by grease 
and water spots, and has a comfortable surface on which to stand or walk. 
Three types are offered for your choice: plain, inlaid and printed—according to 
the amount of money you wish to invest. 

In purchasing, laying and caring for linoleum, there are a few points to bear 
in mind: 

1. Select a durable thickness; decide on a smooth surface as it is easier to clean; 

be sure your floor is dry and level. 

2. Patterns of printed linoleum wear off: those that are inlaid are permanent as 

they extend through the material. 

3. If possible have the linoleum laid by an experienced person so that it will not 

buckle; have it cemented to the floor. 

4. To avoid cracking, keep the roll in a warm room 48 hours before laying. 


12 


5 Have strips fitted closely at seams and allow for expansion on edges near 

baseboard. 

6. Varnish improves linoleum in appearance and durability. 

7. Clean with cloth wrung out of suds of lukewarm water and neutral soap, or 

with a soft scrub-brush—the long-handled kind that prevents kneeling and 

stooping—wash a small space at a time and dry thoroughly. 

That the cleaning of kitchen walls and woodwork may be easy and that the 
finish may last, they should be painted with washable paint, of a soft pleasing 
color, preferably a deep ivory or Colonial buff. The color chosen is important 
because of its effect upon heart and soul. Have you ever noticed how much cheer 
may be added to a dark room by walls of yellowish tint? If your kitchen is 
dreary, a color that reflects rather than absorbs light may transform it into a 
workroom of cheerfulness. 

Effect of Good Lighting, Good Ventilation, Pleasant Outlook: So often 
a woman stands in her own light in the kitchen. She does not realize how wearing 
it is to be constantly straining to see as she stands at stove or sink. To shed 
unshadowed light into every corner, a central ceiling fixture giving indirect light 
is excellent. Or, a good side light near each unit or group of permanent equip¬ 
ment may be sufficient. If you have a few wall lamps, good reflectors may be all 
you need. And for daylight and sunshine, I hope you have two broad windows. 

Fresh air is equally essential and this may be provided not only by the windows 
but also by transoms and the use of window ventilators. 

And what is the view that greets you from your kitchen windows? 

No one may deny the sense of elation that is felt when looking upon a pleasing 
picture. Quite naturally the reverse is true. One may be irritated by resting her 
eyes continually on unattractive scenes. Hence the view from the housewife’s 
kitchen window has a part to play in the peace of her mind and the health of her 
body. There is a far-reaching effect in constantly viewing a disordered back yard, 
an ash can or unsightly outbuildings. 

Why not have the children clean the back yard and “take turns” in keeping 
it in order? 

Shrubbery carefully placed, a hedge or a vine-covered trellis may shield a 
multitude of unwelcome sights. A woman I knew in California had a thick clump 
of bamboo trees just beyond the kitchen door where it gave privacy to the back 
entrance and provided a lovely picture from the kitchen window. Another had a 
well-seeded lawn that became a dust-layer at the doorstep and a refreshing fore¬ 
ground reaching to the hollyhocks at the back fence—to form a pleasing scene 
before her as she lifted her eyes from her work table. 

Height of Working Surface: One of the most important discoveries of science 
in its application to housework is that much of the physical strain upon the worker 
comes from working at improper levels. Bending the back to reach the dishes in 
a low sink, stooping over the stove to stir or watch the cooking foods, leaning over 
the table as you mix or beat, comprise a most unnecessary tax on the muscles 
of the body. It has been found that only by adjusting these levels to the individual 
height of the worker so that the back may be straight and the strain upon shoulders 
and arms be reduced to a minimum may ease be attained and the best kitchen 
action be secured. 

Experiment with yourself and find the measurements that suit your stature. 

For a woman of medium height, the table, stove and sink should be 33 or 34 
inches from the floor; the tubs, 36 inches from the floor to the top rim of the tubs; 
the ironing board, 31 inches; and the table for sitting, about 30 inches. 


13 


Your Rest Corner: Have you a rocking chair that you could paint in a color 
to match your kitchen? Put a cushion in it covered with a washable slip of gay 
chintz or cretonne or even of gingham or calico, and see how it invites a few 
minutes’ relaxation when baking is in progress or the dinner is cooking. It may 
stand in a corner near a window that is curtained with dotted Swiss or scrim 
or cheesecloth. Have a book or magazine within reach if there is room for these 
on the nearby shelf. The moment of rest that this corner affords is like “forty 
winks” in its restorative ability. 

How to Choose an Appliance, Device or Tool: If equipment is to take the 
work out of housework it must be chosen with care. Otherwise it will defeat its 
very purpose, multiplying tasks and occupying valuable space that should be given 
up to worth-while articles. 

Few devices but well-selected ones should be the homemaker’s motto. Every 
article in her collection should not only be substantial and easy to keep in order 
but it should have a definite purpose. And also, not a single piece that is really 
needed should be omitted. She should strive for quality, not quantity. The best 
is always the cheapest in the end. 

In buying, therefore, a woman asks herself these questions: 

1. Is this appliance really necessary to me ? 

2. Can the work be done better with it? 

3. Which is quicker—to use it and clean it or to do the work without it? 

4. Is it easy to use and comfortable to grasp or handle? 

5. Is it well made? 

6. Is it economical to buy it, considering the cost and the expense of running and 
repair in relation to the saving of time and trouble? 

Women to-day are learning to place special emphasis on the cleaning of their 
equipment. They look for unnecessary corners and crevices, rough uneven surfaces 
where dust and dirt may collect, awkward shapes that are not easily reached with 
cleaning cloth, mop or brush. The care involved by these objectionable features 
counteracts the value of the work done by the machine. Indeed, no appliance that 
is unreasonably difficult to clean may be reckoned a good investment. 

The subtle effect of harmony also enters into your choice of equipment. If 
your kitchen is your principal workshop where you spend the greater part of your 
day, should it not have a pleasing, restful atmosphere? How may this be attained? 
Surely not by a heterogeneous mass of articles that clash with one another in every 
way! Equipment should serve a useful purpose but it should also be chosen for 
line, form and color. By following a color scheme in walls, woodwork, floor and 
curtains and by keeping to uniform outlines in certain utensils, selecting the same 
colors or the same materials in wares, arranging all these with an eye to balance 
and proportion, an artistic trend is possible which will create real inspiration in the 
home. 

If white is your color, select white mixing bowls and arrange them in pleasing 
groups or nests. If yellow enters into your scheme, keep to the yellow or yellow 
and blue bowls. Do not mix in a few white ones and spoil the effect on shelf or 
in cupboard. Again, if you have a fondness for aluminum, conceal the other wares 
and let the silvery aluminum gleam forth in conspicuous places. If one of the 
colored enamels appeals to you, adorn your kitchen with it, and keep all other 
utensils invisible. 

It is the same with the smaller implements and tools that dangle from your 
row of hooks near sink or work table. Buy those that are in harmony, grouping 


14 


them according to their size and the general effect. For there must be a hook for 
each and each always on its hook. 

Arranging Equipment to Advantage: After all, it is not the amount of money 
expended that makes the most convenient kitchen. It is intelligence in planning 
—the aim to secure the best working conditions with the fewest possible steps— 
that will net the highest return in convenience and expediency. 

Until recently little thought was given to the placing of kitchen furniture in 
relation to the consecutive order in which the tasks were to be performed. A stove 
was so stationed because it happend to be adapted to a certain corner of the 
room. An ice-box was placed where it looked well or fitted a given space. But 
now in planning a kitchen, a woman considers the sequence of the operations in¬ 
cident to preparing a meal and arranges her equipment accordingly. She aims 
to center her work as much as possible, having near each other those articles that 
serve as connecting links in the processes of cooking, and thus avoiding unnecessary 
crossing and recrossing of the room. This reduces surprisingly the mileage she 
travels in her kitchen. 

Now if you want to reorganize your kitchen for greater convenience, do not 
be discouraged if conditions prevent your following the ideal plan. It is always 
possible to make improvements and each improvement means a percentage of 
labor conserved. One must make adjustments to suit her individual environment. 
For instance, the stove is usually the governing factor in arrangement. If badly 
placed, it must be endured, the vital point being to group the other equipment 
in relation to it. The position of water and drainage pipes can be changed in 
moving the sink, but this is an expensive undertaking. The stove is a fixture. 

Whatever adjustments must be made, the usual order of work is the directing 
principle. Thus the food, brought into the kitchen, is first placed in the refrigera¬ 
tor or pantry, both of which consequently should be near the back entrance. From 
either of these points, it is carried to work table or sink (which should have a drain 
board on either side or at least on the left-hand side) for preparation or cleansing; 
then to stove for cooking. When ready, it is served from the serving table, placed 
on the wheel tray and rolled to the dining room. From there, the dishes are again 
carried out to the serving table and to the sink; and then, washed and dried, they 
are arranged on nearby shelves or in a cupboard—all shelving being narrow and 
low to facilitate placing and to avoid high reaching. The route would be from 
refrigerator or pantry to work table or sink, to stove, to serving table, to dining 
room; from dining room to serving table, to sink, to cupboard (or refrigerator 
or pantry, if food is to be put away). 

The grouping of the larger equipment therefore would be as follows: 


Refrigerator 

Pantry 

Work Table or 

Kitchen-Cabinet 

Sink 

Stove 

Serving Table 
Cupboard or 
Shelves 

Wheel Tray 


| Near outside entrance. 


Close together, for preparation and cooking 
” of food and for washing of utensils. 

> 


Near sink and in line to dining room. 


) Near sink and stove, to carry food to dining 
j room, and soiled dishes to sink. 


IS 



It is quite as essential that the smaller articles should be close at hand. What 
is more annoying than to have to cross a room, open a cupboard or pull out a 
drawer to get an egg beater, a wooden spoon or a potato masher at the critical 
moment when you need it! 

To facilitate your work it is a good plan to have a rack or row of hooks above 
the table, consistently near the working surface, holding these accessories: 

Glass Measuring Cup Wooden Spoon Spatula 

Aluminum Funnel Basting Spoon Large Meat Fork 

Nutmeg Grater 


And near the sink: 

Soap Shaker 
Dish Mop 
Copper Mop or Mit 
Close to the Stove: 

Cake Turner 


Sink Brush 
Sink Shovel 
Drinking Cup 

Potato Masher 


Vegetable Brush 
Pair of Scissors 
Strainer 

Frying Pan (concealed) 


In the Cupboard, near the Work Table: 

Mixing Bowls Pie Plates or 

Bread and Cake Pans Dishes 

Baking Dishes Kitchen China 

On another Shelf in the Cupboard: 

Sauce Pans (arranged according to 
size, each with a cover) 

Kettles (with covers) 


Set of Small 
Enameled Dishes for 
putting left-overs in 
refrigerator 

Roaster 

Other needed Utensils 


In the placing of all equipment the rule is to find a sensible place for every¬ 
thing and keep everything in its sensible place. And to determine just what is 
“sensible” means to bear in mind the relation of the device or utensil to the task 
to be done with it. An appliance should be near the spot where it is to be used, 
as far as possible, and all devices and materials needed for certain work should 
be grouped together. It is therefore advisable to have a cleaning closet upstairs 
and down. The large expensive equipment, of course, which one does not duplicate, 
such as a vacuum cleaner, should be kept below stairs and carried to the upper 
floors when the special cleaning is done. 


For the Downstairs Cleaning Closet one might have: 


In 


Vacuum Cleaner 
Carpet Sweeper 
Hair Broom 

Dusting and Polishing Mops 
Weighted Brush 
Long-handled Dust Pan 


Self-wringing Floor Mop 
Chemically Treated Duster with 
handle. 

Dustless Dust Cloths 

Brushes for Radiator, Refrigerator, 

Stairs, etc. 


Separate boxes containing Window-Cleaning Outfit, Silver-Cleaning Out¬ 
fit, Brass-Cleaning Outfit 

On the Shelf—neat stacks of cleaning cloths, soaps, cleaning fluids, bottle 
of lacquer for nickel and brass, and so forth 

the Upstairs Cleaning Closet: 

Carpet Sweeper Dustless Dust Cloths 

Hair Broom Whisk Broom 

Dust Pan Polish for silver, brass, copper 

Floor Mop (Dusting) Soaps, Cleaning Cloths 

Dustless Duster with handle 


16 


Household Management 

It is only when a woman sees herself as the head of the most important business 
in the world—and not as a drudge condemned to a life at hard labor—that she 
realizes how her own profit may be translated into better lives for others. She 
then knows that the more she saves her own strength and time and attractions, 
the more will she have to give to her family of richest gifts—moral direction and 
inspiration. With the pressure of material demands this is possible to her only by 
mustering all her thought in the scientific management of her home. 

For it has been found that the modern home responds to intelligent manage¬ 
ment as readily as any industrial enterprise. Its equipment, environment and labor 
may be as readily organized, systematized, standardized and disciplined to get the 
best results at the least expense of money, time and strength. It all depends on the 
homemaker to initiate and direct, according to her ideal. 

And how may this be accomplished? 

System: In the foregoing pages a way has been pointed out to organize and 
standardize the equipment and labor. It remains to systematize the executive 
department (further regulating the labor) and to enforce discipline in the operation 
of the home project. 

To some women “system” has a forbidding sound. It suggests dull routine 
and the following of uninteresting rules. But this is a mistaken idea. For system 
is the most valuable tool the homemaker may possess. System in the home is not 
just superficial regulations. It goes far deeper. It means a plan that is evolved 
from the very heart of the organization—a working basis by which details are 
controlled and subordinated to the aim of producing better boys and girls, men and 
women. 

The new methods relegate to oblivion the old saying that “woman’s work is 
never done.” Woman's work, like man’s work, is now planned to cover a definite 
space of time, the eight-hour day being the basis, as recognized by all economists 
to be the most satisfactory in all branches of labor. As an individual, following a 
chosen profession, she is entitled to leisure for intellectual and spiritual develop¬ 
ment, recreation, the privilege of the joy of living. 

With mechanical servants to do her bidding, with the co-operation of her 
children, each one of whom should be assigned tasks about the home as soon as 
they are old enough, she may plan this eight-hour day so that she will not be 
washing dishes or plying her needle far into the watches of the night. Her time is 
valued as money and its earnings for the day should surely accord her freedom 
in the evening. 

A Schedule: As a definite program of work has proved to be the greatest 
economic factor in industry, so in the home a schedule is imperative to the home¬ 
maker’s liberty and the success of her undertaking. 

I do not mean that one should be a slave to a cut-and-dried order of living. 
The plan should be more or less elastic, to be adjustable to emergencies, and if the 
inevitable should happen one day to interfere with the clock-work precision of 
operation, then the next day the schedule should be resumed and re-arrangements 
made to take care of the upset. In cases of illness or the unexpected arrival of 
guests, the best plans will go awry. But a schedule once tried, altered and finally 
adopted, should become law in the home, and each member of the family should 
understand and comply. Herein is discipline enforced; herein does a woman grow 
and expand as she shapes her work to her will. 


17 


A schedule is always an individual matter. As no two homes are alike, so no 
two plans of management can be the same. The governing factors in all cases, 
however, are similar. They include the number in the family, the number of 
helpers (if any), the size of the house, the location of the home (whether in city 
or country), and the occupation of the breadwinner. 

Since the purpose of a schedule is to distribute the work throughout the 
hours of the day and the days of the week so as to prevent excessive labor at any 
one time, there should be two schedules: daily and weekly. Ample time should 
be allowed for each separate task, certain days set aside for laundry, ironing, 
cleaning, with rest periods provided to give the homemaker a respite from toil. 

The economic value of these rest periods has been recognized by many manu¬ 
facturers and heads of business concerns who are giving a half-hour recess to all 
employees in mid-afternoon for a cup of tea and a social chat. Why should not 
the homemaker accord herself similar relaxation? Drop into your rest corner for 
this brief space with your cup of refreshing tea. 

The following schedule has been thoroughly tested in a small family (with 
but one helper—a weekly laundress) occupying five rooms. It is not a rule for 
other families, but merely a suggestion as to how each homemaker can work out 
her own plan. 


Daily: 6:30 —Rise. 

6 :30— 7 :00—Dress. 

7 :00— 7 :30—Prepare Breakfast. 

7 :30— 8 .00—Breakfast. 

8:00— 8:45—Wash dishes and arrange kitchen. 

8:45— 9 :00—Read paper and rest. 

9:00— 9 :45—Dust living room and dining room; dust halls; make beds 
and dust bedrooms; put bathroom in order. 

9:45—11:15—(Weekly schedule for special day inserted here.) 

11:15—12:15—Market; walk; record daily expenses, etc. 

12:15— 1:30—Prepare and serve luncheon; wash lunch dishes. 

1:30— 2 :00— Rest. 

2 :00— 4 :30—Read, visit, sew, attend club meetings, community 

or civic work, church work, etc. 

4:30— 6 :00—Prepare dinner. 

6:00— 6:45—Dine. 

6:45— 7:30—Wash dishes; put away left-overs, etc. 


Weekly: 

Monday: 
Tuesday: 

Wednesday: 
Thursday: 
Friday: 


Saturday: 


9 :45—11:15—Clean kitchen: 

8 :30— 5 :30—Washing and ironing by laundress. 

9:45—11:15—Clean bedrooms. 

9:45—11:15—Clean bathroom and halls. 

9:45—11:15—Clean sliver, and brass. 

9:45—11:15—Perform odd tasks; balance accounts, make 
shopping lists, plan weekly menus, sew and darn, repair furnish¬ 
ings and clothes and tools, remove spots on floors and rugs, etc. 
9:45—11:15—Clean living room and dining room; bake; pre¬ 


pare food for Sunday. 

You will see that this schedule provides for: 

4*4 hours’ work in the morning. 

3*4 hours’ work in the afternoon. 
8 hours’ work for the day. 


18 


There is a rest period in both the morning and afternoon sessions of work, 
with ample time for recreation and diversion. You will note also that there is no 
plan for Sunday except for the preparation of food for that day, which is ex¬ 
plained by the fact that the usual hot trying “Sunday dinner” is supplanted by a 
cold luncheon, prepared on Saturday and served informally at an hour to suit 
the family’s wishes. This gives the housewife the privilege of sharing the day 
of rest with them. 

Another detail, the dishwashing, may be simplified if you have an electrical 
machine. You may then stack the dishes and wash them but once a day, which 
will change your plan materially. 

Of course other variations may be made as the children’s many needs demand, 
but the general succession of tasks can be followed with alterations. 

Your Desk Your Office: A well-equipped desk is an important labor saver 
in organizing and maintaining your home upon a scientific basis. Here, in its 
pigeonholes and drawers, you may keep the current letters and bills and receipts, 
ready for filing in the proper pocketbook filing cases, also your account books, 
check book, stationery, index of recipes and pamphlets on foods, and so forth. 

Ample room must also be allowed for that indispensable compendium of general 
information, your card file, which may hold all recipes, addresses, lists of books, 
menus, hints on cooking, cleaning, laundry; inventories of clothing and furniture; 
recipes; shopping and calling lists, and so forth. 

A few minutes spent daily in keeping the records straight in your card file 
will save many hours and much trouble. 

Motion Study: Have you ever observed the motions of yourself or some one 
else in washing dishes, setting a table or dusting? If you have, you know how 
much energy is wasted by unnecessary movements. Why circle the table many 
times in placing the silver when it could be done by walking around but once? 
Why multiply the motions in dishwashing by having a right-hand drain board 
which means dropping your mop to take each dish from your left hand as you 
place it with the right? Why dust your floors and furniture with short hard 
rubs when long sweeping strokes would do it more easily and more quickly? 
Why stir a mixture outward when it conserves strength to stir inward? 

The Family Funds: A friend of mine whose income is limited and whose 
tastes are simple, seems always to have a few dollars tucked .away for a theatre 
ticket or a luncheon or a contribution to church or charity. 

She does this by financing her home just as her husband does his business. 
She had scraped along for years in a hand-to-mouth existence, not knowing where 
the money went and having few clothes or pleasures. 

By facing the financial problems of her home sensibly and devising a plan of 
expenditures to take care of all the family needs, she earned freedom from 
money worries. Apportioning their modest income in accordance with their 
standards and requirements, and keeping account of the expenses for further 
illumination on the subject, she conserved funds in one direction to apply them 
in another, thus allowing little pleasures she had never known before and bringing 
the greatest happiness and comfort to all. 

As with all other home concerns, the matter of the budget is an individual 
problem, calling for the exercise of a woman’s understanding of her family’s needs 
and her best judgment in apportioning the money to secure the most good for all 
at the least expense. Our aims are so varied, our conditions of life are so dissimilar, 


19 


our standards so different, that no hard and fast rules may be laid down. What 
are luxuries to one are necessities to another. But at least we may be governed 
somewhat by the amount of the income, the size of the family, location of the 
home, the standard of living, and the tastes and ambitions of the various members 
of the family. 

In dividing the funds, a certain percentage is allotted for rent, food, clothing, 
fuel, light, water, and various forms of progression or development, as education, 
travel, books, church, savings, amusements, etc. A guide of reasonable percentages 
for this sub-division may be found in “The Cost of Living” by Mrs. Ellen H. 
Richards. But in using this reference one must make allowances for changes in the 
mode of living and for the high prices of today as compared with those that pre¬ 
vailed when the book was written. Having decided upon a proportionate arrange¬ 
ments of funds, it is easy to make alterations later, as the accounts will reveal 
where economy may be practised in one direction and additional sums spent in 
another. Indeed, these figures are a guiding hand, showing waste and mistakes, and 
pointing the way to improvement and thrift. 

Keeping Accounts: You have only to inspect the books and files and card 
catalogues in the shops to find the answer in kind, shape, size and ruling, to the 
question of how to keep your accounts. In general, there are three methods— 
book, envelope and card file cabinet. If you prefer a book, you may buy one ruled 
to suit your needs or you may rule a common notebook. Or, the envelope system 
may appeal to you—having a separate envelope for each division of funds and 
inserting a slip whenever an expenditure is made, the monthly total to be formed 
from these slips. Perhaps more convenient, however, is the card file system, either 
with blank cards or with printed headings under which the housewife may see at 
a glance just how her finances stand. The method adopted is really immaterial— 
the point is to show receipts and expenses—income and outgo—so that you may 
make a balance at any time. 

Besides all this, and greater in its deeper effect, is the establishment of a 
partnership between husband and wife, and the personal satisfaction that grows out 
of this association. A woman sees that her responsibility in spending is as great as 
a man’s in earning, and thus they are placed on an equal footing in relation to this 
important aspect of family life. Respect is inculcated and a certain independence 
and dignity are developed which are well for both heads of this vital enterprise. 
With her own checking account, the spending of the family money, the keeping of 
the family accounts, the direction of all details of home life, a woman becomes, in 
every sense of the word, the manager of her home. 

Effect of a System of Orderly Living: The secret of it all lies in learning 
how to lift the burden from your own shoulders. To substitute machines for 
human energy; to let mind operate in the arrangement of your equipment and the 
running of your home so as to conserve steps; to gain the co-operation of the 
family by allotting tasks to each; to follow a program of work that releases hours 
for spiritual and mental development as well as for diversions; to give yourself the 
necessary rest that retains your attractions and keeps the wrinkles and gray hair 
away; to institute a financial scheme that eliminates money worries, saving self 
as well as pennies, and establishes the married partnership on a firm footing; 
these make the homemaker’s independence, ease and happiness. And to what end? 
That she may create the ideal home and preserve romance in her life—the far- 
reaching effect and ultimate aim of which is to teach the children a higher, better, 
more efficient way of living, thus making better men and women of the future. 


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